Stuck on the Battlefield, Russia Wages ‘Total War’ on Ukraine’s Economy
The economic damage from Russian strikes, resulting in lost sales, disrupted workdays and logistical snarls, is in the billions of dollars. Firefighters at the site of a drone attack on a warehouse in Brovary, Ukraine, this month. Credit... Francisco Seco/Associated Press By Andrew E. Kramer Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine The New York Times Sept. 25, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET original article contains links The war of attrition between Russia and Ukraine is expanding to encompass both countries’ economies. Military targeting officers are operating as economists in reverse. Increasingly, the objectives of missile and drone strikes are declining output, lost jobs and logistical bottlenecks. Ukrainian officials are calling the current Russian campaign “total war” for its focus on economic impact, rather than on narrower goals like battlefield gains or infrastructure damage. While Moscow has targeted commercial assets throughout the war, its assaults have grown significantly in scale. The in...